It must be time. Here's my DXbase 2005 wish list.
1. I'd like this problem not to happen: When the Internet Cluster module
loses its connection, my CPU usage goes to 100% and stays there until I
close the module.
2. When I right click the DX Info window and select Empty Entries, I'd like
not to have a confirmation window ("Are you sure you want to delete all
entries?") appear. C'mon! I've right clicked and selected a menu choice.
It's not like I could do that by accident.
3. Related to #2, it would be nice to have a user option to automatically
empty the DX Info window whenever DXbase shuts down. (If you provide this
option, you'll never hear from me again about #2!)
4. The Internet-CMDs toolbar is very nice, and I know the actual command
for each button shows up with the ToolTips, but I'd like to be able to see
the commands (or text strings of my choice) right on the buttons.
The following items are repeats from previous years' wish lists. Repeated
for emphasis, I guess.
5. I would like DXbase windows to work like Macromedia Dreamweaver or Adobe
Photoshop or Microsoft Visual Basic. That is, I want all the windows that
make up the program to float on my screen with my desktop underneath, and
not need to stay inside the main DXbase window. In this scenario the main
DX base window would just be a menu bar.
6. DXbase should allow me to store all the files I change (like my log, and
my other databases, and my settings) in any directory I choose (such as My
Documents) for backup convenience.
7. DXbase should store every setting that I can configure in the program
(all keyboard shortcuts, all window sizes and positions, all colors, all
fonts, etc., etc.) in one place, say an ini file, and I should be able to
put this file in a directory of my choosing (see #6 above). No user
settings or configurations should be stored in the Windows registry. This
request is for two reasons: (1) for easy backup of this important data, and
(2) to make it easier to upgrade to the latest version of DXbase. The way
it is now, user configuration and settings are stored in at least two
locations, that darned registry, and an ini file. No matter how hard I try
(I've even resorted to custom editing the .ini file line by line to copy
settings from the previous version to the new one) I end up spending an hour
or two setting window sizes and positions, fonts, colors, etc., every year
when I upgrade. There needs to be an easier way.
8. Speaking of an easier way, and related to #7, why can't DXbase upgrades
work like most other software upgrades? That is, all user customizations
are automatically transferred to the new version, old user files are
automatically changed to work with the new version if the file format
changes, and the old version is automatically overwritten or deleted. The
way it is now, I have to do way too much manual file and directory
management with every upgrade.
9. When I'm scrolling back in a Cluster or DX Info window, I would like
screen updates to this window to automatically be blocked. I'd like the
text and/or background color of the window to change to remind me that I'm
scrolled back and screen updates are blocked. When I scroll fully forward,
I'd like the window to change back to normal colors, and screen updates to
be automatically turned on again. (I know I can turn off screen updates
when I'm scrolling back, but I've got to find which button or menu selection
goes with which window, and I don't seem to use this function enough to
learn where it is. Why not have it be automatic?)
10. When I highlight a QSO in the QSO log, or I click a call in a spot
window, it updates the statistics in the Summary window so I can see its
status. This is good. But, it would be easier to see at a glance the
relationship between the spot or log entry I've clicked and the bands/modes
I've already worked if the band/mode entry corresponding to what I clicked
would _blink_ (or be highlighted in some other way) in the Summary window
cell for some period of time. Example: A spot for Puerto Rico on 10M SSB
comes in. I already have PR confirmed and worked on lots of bands and
modes. I click the spot and the Summary window gets updated to show the
stats for PR. But I have to mentally think "the spot is for 10M SSB, so now
look at the 10M SSB Summary cell
to see if I need it." If the 10M SSB cell's entry (whether "*", "W", or
"C") were highlighted for a few seconds, I would be freed from this need to
make this mental translation.
11. I would like a simpler, more-user-friendly way of setting up and
switching Telnet Internet Cluster connections. The way it is now is very
cumbersome, with the Hosts file and the setup fields and the inability to
see what's going on (the handshaking) that happens when initially setting up
a connection.
(That I'm down to such a nit-picky list really shows how good DXbase is
already.)
John Pelham, W1JA
Antique Radio Web Site http://www.radiophile.com
